


Serenity

by Asdrator



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: Set seven years after the conclusion of Radiant Dawn. Nailah and Rafiel live together in a little house in Serenes, and Nailah comes to worry: what if this isn’t the sort of life Rafiel wants? A story of love, worry, and true happiness.
Relationships: Nailah/Rafiel (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Serenity

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Nailah and Rafiel’s bridal alts lol

A hand shook Nailah gently and a distant voice called out to her. After an amount of time that she was too asleep to be sure of, the words finally become clear to her. “It’s time to wake up, dearest Nailah.”

Those were the words that Nailah stirred awake to, her eyes slowly but surely opening. The voice that woke her from her slumber belonged to her true love Rafiel, his appearance as pretty as his words were sweet. They had known each other some 30 years now, and he had made every moment of those years bearable. He was like an oasis on the horizon of the desert, always calm and ever refreshing. “Sure, sure.” Nailah finally mumbled in response turning from her side onto her back so that she could properly look at Rafiel, not that she needed a reminder of what he looked like with how often she got to stare at his beautiful face. “Give me a moment and I’ll be right up.”

With a smile, Rafiel nodded, and took his hand off her shoulder. “I’ll go make some tea to go with breakfast then. Come out whenever you’re ready.” As he walked out of the room, Nailah stared after him with a loving smile. Rafiel wasn’t a perfect man; he had his regrets in life, and he was more fragile than he wanted to be. She knew this by the way he carried himself, and how he always tried to be stronger than he actually was. However, he was perfect for her, and she loved him all the more for his supposed imperfections.

It had been about a year since the end of Great Migration of Hatari across the desert, which had itself occurred about seven years after Ashera’s defeat. While most of the wolf tribe laguz had chosen to live in Gallia after the end of the migration due to the openminded nature of King Skrimir, Nailah herself had chosen differently. After overseeing the last safe arrivals of the long migration, she had discarded her royal title and moved with Rafiel to his family’s home in Serenes, now a kingdom for all the bird tribes. They spent their days here peacefully, wanting for nothing except for this time to go on forever.

At long last, Nailah summoned the energy to get out of bed, swinging her legs out first and stretching her arms before actually moving to stand. Opening her dresser, she saw her old regal outfit and moved it to the side; she had no need for things like that anymore. She was not the Queen of Hatari anymore, she was just Nailah, and would only be Nailah from that point on. It was quite liberating, once she got used to it. After a little more digging, Nailah found a suit that Calill had gifted her shortly after the war, simply because, in the woman’s own words, it ‘suited’ her. Though she never quite knew what to make of the city beorc or her puns, Nailah put on the suit regularly, careful so as not to tear it.

Looking in a mirror, Nailah carefully looked her suit over. It fit perfectly, she had to admit; neither too tight nor too loose. Calill really had a knack for this sort of thing, if she was able to guess Nailah’s sizes just like that. Most of the suit was a dark black, while the collar, lapels, and cuffs were white. She’d always had trouble with the buttons, but with a lot of practice she had learned how to properly use them. After finishing with the shirt and jacket of the suit, she put on the similarly black pants, and completed the outfit with a belt.

As Nailah made her way out of the bedroom, she picked up a delicious scent that drew her towards the kitchen. Closing her eye and allowing her nose to guide her simply to make things more interesting, she finally reached the kitchen door, grasping for the handle. When she opened the door wide, she heard a surprised gasp, and opened her eyes. Before her was Rafiel, making pancakes and bacon for t, the former for him and the latter for her. It was difficult, sometimes, with him being a herbivore and her being a carnivore, but his cooking certainly made it work. “Oh, Nailah!” The heron said, his usual pleasant smile on his face. “You scared me for a moment. By the way, you look good in that suit. Where did you get it from?”

Before answering, Nailah came closer and hugged Rafiel from behind as gently as she could manage, burying her face in his neck and taking in a deep breath to know his scent once again. “It was a gift from Calill.” Nailah finally answered, placing her chin on his shoulder, and murmuring next to his ear. “I’ll have to thank her for it sometime. How’s breakfast coming along, my love?”

Without missing a beat, Rafiel turned his head and kissed Nailah on the cheek, then began moving the pancakes and bacon from their pans onto plates. “It’s coming along great! I just finished in fact, as you can see. Tea should be ready soon too, so feel free to take a seat at the table.” Nailah hummed in acknowledgement, letting go of him, then kissed the back of his neck loudly, sending a shudder down Rafiel’s spine and making him blush. Having a ticklish partner certainly had its perks.

Finally letting Rafiel go so that he could finish the tea, Nailah picked up the plates and went to sit at the dinner table as she had been asked, setting a plate down on each side, the bacon in front of her and the pancakes on the other side. With a sigh, Nailah rested her chin in her right hand with a small smile. This was the life, living in a pleasant little house with her one true love. She didn’t think there was any way she could make it more perfect.

Or at least, a way to make it more perfect for herself, but sometimes she wondered about Rafiel. Was he really ok living here, in a homeland that brought back memories both good and bad? Even though he hadn’t been present at the massacre, surely it made him feel sad to look around outside and see no other herons where there were once thousands. Nailah’s smile turned into a frown at the thought, and she let out a frustrated sigh. All these years together, and she still doubted herself when she thought about what he wanted.

“Honey?” Nailah’s good eye flicked to the source of the voice, though she knew it was Rafiel even before she did. “Are you alright? That was quite a loud sigh.” He was holding a teapot by the handle in one hand, and two teacups in the other, all of which he set down in the middle of the table. Though he began to pour their tea, he continued to look up at her, awaiting a response. When Nailah hesitated to answer, his face showed his concern. “You know you can tell me if anything’s wrong.”

“Yeah, I know.” Nailah said with a furrowed brow, eating her bacon slowly. “I’m just... worried. About you.”

“About me?” Rafiel’s voice carried genuine surprise, as though he couldn’t imagine what somebody would be worried about him for. Though it wouldn’t help him if he did, for Nailah’s concern for him wasn’t a usual one. More usual would be everyday concerns, such as why Rafiel was currently cutting his pancakes with the knife facing the wrong way. Brilliant chef though he may be, he could still be shockingly bad at seemingly simple tasks. Nailah just found that it made him even cuter, though.

“I’ve been thinking... are you really happy with this sort of life? Don’t you want to travel somewhere, do something?” Nailah asked, searching for some reaction in Rafiel’s eyes. “Don’t you get a little sad, staying in Serenes?”

Rafiel blinked, as though confused, then laughed lightly out of understanding. “Loveliest Nailah, of course I get sad about Serenes sometimes, it’s only natural. I do also sometimes miss the adventure we had, fighting against Ashera to save the world.”

“Then-“

“However, how could I be unhappy with any life when it’s the one I live by your side?” Rafiel continued, taking one of Nailah’s hands in two of his own. “I love you, Nailah, more than I love the wind beneath my wings or the stars in the sky. So I’m perfectly content living like this.” He squeezed her hand and frowned. “Do... you not want to live like this?”

“No!” Nailah answered, perhaps a bit too quickly compared to her usual calm manner. “I mean, no, I do. I was just worried that you were upset and not telling me. I didn’t want that, of course, so I decided to just ask you.” She let out a sigh of relief, then moved her free hand to clasp one of Rafiel’s hands between her own, beginning to stroke it reassuringly. “I’m such a fool, aren’t I?”

Shaking his head, Rafiel drank from his tea, not wanting to let it get too cold. Nailah hastily followed his example, and they sat in silence for a moment. “The only fool here is me for causing a woman who’s too good for me to worry so.” Rafiel said when he was finished. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, alright? I’m completely comfortable around you and have been for three decades now. If something came up, I would tell you what was wrong without hesitation.”

“Rafiel...” Nailah murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She stood up from the table, went around it, and gave her partner a hug, gently as usual. “Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s so reassuring to hear you say that.” She almost whispered into his ear. Rafiel simply wrapped his arms around her in return and hummed a song to her.

When the two broke apart from the hug, they stared into each other’s faces for a moment, before Nailah leaned towards him and kissed Rafiel right on the neck, softer this time. “Have a good day, Rafiel. I’ll see you later.” 

Nailah had been appointed by King Tibarn as a royal advisor for relations with the beast laguz tribes, a job she took both to give her something to occupy her time, and to avoid being a financial burden on the heron royal family, much as Rafiel’s father and siblings might be willing to go to any length to support them. Though he missed her during the day, Rafiel was more than supportive of her career; he had family that visited him anyways, in order to avoid his becoming lonely.  
——————————————————  
When Nailah arrived home, all the chores around the house had been done. She really never could find the slightest flaw with Rafiel’s cleaning, though maybe she was biased. As she grinned at the thought, she realized Rafiel was nowhere to be seen. After looking through the rooms one by one, Nailah finally found the heron passed out on their couch. A small sigh of relief she hadn’t known she’d been holding escaped her; it was hard not to worry about Rafiel when she didn’t know his location, with how trusting and fragile he was. Kneeling in front of the couch, Nailah stroked her hand through Rafiel’s golden hair, and the heron smiled in his slumber. He always had liked having his hair played with.

Pulling her hand back, Nailah simply studied her partner’s face for a moment. He put on a brave front, but he lacked Reyson and Leanne’s relatively strong constitutions. As such, though he shared their willpower, he lacked the energy those two possessed. Most likely, completing all the chores had exhausted him, and he had fallen asleep before he knew it. “You silly bird...” Nailah said fondly while shaking her head.

After standing up, Nailah carefully put each of her arms under the sleeping Rafiel, and began to slowly carry him to their bedroom. When she reached their bed, she set him down with his head on a pillow, then covered him with a blanket. “Good night, my love.” 

However, before she could leave, her sleeve was grabbed by Rafiel’s hand. Frowning, Nailah looked at his face, only to see that he remained asleep. “Stay with me... Nailah...” Rafiel murmured, to both the woman in his dreams and the woman of his dreams. 

After initially hesitating, Nailah gave in with a sigh. “Fine. I guess we could both use some sleep.” Despite her reluctant attitude, she was actually very touched that Rafiel was having a dream about her. Laying down in the bed next to him, Nailah wrapped her arms around Rafiel, both to comfort him and protect him, for that was what she did for him and he for her. Kissing Rafiel on the side of the head, Nailah put her head down on its side next to him, and closed her eyes. Slowly, but surely, she drifted off into sleep.

Together, they had achieved a good and quiet life. So long as they loved each other, they would have serenity.


End file.
